Description on US bottle label:
This is one rich and très hoppy golden ale. Working in his little rustic brick and wood beamed building, Daniel Thiriez makes this earthy, punchy, flavorful stuff in very small batches especially for the stout-hearted Frères de la Bière, a local caterie of special friends united by their thorough enjoyment of a rough and ready unrelenting farmhouse brew. Mon Dieu, thats good!

Reviews by mjohn27603:

Pours light straw yellow out of bottle. Wow, the foam quickly overtakes the glass and very slow develops into a glass of beer. This is much lighter in color then most beers I've had lately. Almost too much foam. Beer is a very soft mouthfeel. Not acidic or that biting on the tongue. Hops presence is noticeable with some bitterness. Glad this is more than a pint. Very drinkable. This is hopped but not overly so. Very solid and goes down well.

More User Reviews:

Ten bucks from West Lakeview Liquors. Supremely drinkable. Im talking like clean German pilsener on a July day drinkable. Speaking of a clean German pilsener the hop profile in this beer kind of reminds me of one Its really spicy and grassy in a noble sort of way. Funkiness is light but present. Complex yeast light fruit flavors are found throughout the nose and palate. Peppery/grassy bitterness finishes the beer rather dryly. Lemon zest citrus character is also found in the finish. Surprisingly complex for the low abv. Actually, I am quite astounded by this beer. I wouldnt imagine it to be 4.5%. There just seems to be a lot more happening here than that ABV would usually allow. Body is a slightly hazy blonde with a ton of carbonation. Really, this beer is more carbonated than any I have had in a long time. One has to be quite patient with it as the beautiful white head takes minutes to settle. Be careful opening the bottle too. Mine nearly exploded with foam.

750ml green capped bottle purchased at Rich O's in Indiana. Awesome up close hop photo on the front. Pours into my tulip glass a cloudy pale yellow/orange hue with a huge white clumpy, frothy head on top. Tons of active carbonation rises up..quite a sight. Aromas of light grainy malts with mellow citrus accents of lemon peel, melon and orange. A wonderful, intense floral, herbal hop aroma enchants the senses. An earthy, rustic yeast twang is there as well, but it's the bountiful unique almost perfumy aroma of the hops that really shines here. Simply lovely.

First sip brings a light, musty grainy maltiness with hints of citrus fruits and earthy yeast. Not long after the poignant herbal, floral hops take center stage and delight the taste buds. A spicy, peppery flavor runs throughout the brew. Finishes smooth and a bit dry with a mellow bitterness. Such big, green leafy flowery hop flavors. Ultimately, this is a unique, rustic, complex and wonderfully tasty saison. Divine.

Mouthfeel is on the lighter side with plenty of fast moving carbonation. Goes down easy and is so refreshing. This is a definte session saison and I honestly wish I had another 750ml to follow up after this one. Goes to show that you can get an amazing amount of flavor out of a lower abv brew. Cheers to Daniel Thiriez for producing this amazing brew and to Shelton Bros. for bringing it to the U.S. and into my hands. Highly recommended to saison lovers and hop lovers alike. Not to be missed.

(served in a tulip glass)
A- This beer pours a snow white thick creamy head on a slightly hazy yellow body that becomes more hazy with the last pour. There is a tight strong carbonation of tiny bubbles gliding to the surface. The head sticks to the glass and laces back to the body lasting long after the beer is gone.
S- This beer has a fresh musty hop pellet aroma of green goodness with a green cinnamon quality and a fresh ground pale malt finish with a slight sweet wort finish.
T- This beer has a a soft smooth wheaty musty note with a nice green bitter snap finish. There is a slight chlorine note to the hops but it is a really pleasant taste.
M- This beer has a medium-full mouthfeel with no alcohol heat at all.
D- This beer has a great big fluffy white head that and a great hop flavor with some yeasty musty hint that offers a nice unique twist. This beer is very easy to drink and has a great freshness.

This is a great value beer - $11 for a really nice French saison. lovely hazy peach body, full and frothy white crest. Super smooth body - nice earthy hop tones, fits the farmhouse mold. Unfortunately a little green-bottle skunk present, but not too distracting. Like this beer a lot.

Poured into an oversized wine glass a slight hazed light golden with a large blooming white head that left globs of lace behind as it settled ever so slowly.Slight funk in the aroma like a horse blanket along with some mineral and honey a firm toastiness rounds out the nose.A real smoky character wich I didnt expect on the palate along with an herby dill and spicey white pepper like quality in the finish a little phenolic yeasty character in the background and somewhat dry.Complex to the hilt with alot of flavor a real summer quaffing style saison.

Appearance - The gorgeous light orange color glows in the dark and is the perfect yellowish-orange. The head is solid and thick, white as the driven snow and just as beautiful.

Smell - The dry-hopping here doesn't knock you out like a dry-hopped IPA. It's just a more intense hop aroma than the standard fare. It's so smooth and well-rounded though. Amazing.

The malts are light and slightly nutty with some good orangish notes and just a hint of sour lemon. This bouquet is nicely done.

Taste - The taste is spot on. The hops are big and incredibly smooth, the light malts fruity with a bit of Tang, and the light leafy character gives it that farmhouse profile.

Mouthfeel - This medium-bodied ale is so delicate and fluffy in the mouth it almost redefines the term. The beer just evaporates when it hits your cheeks. You almost consume this ale by breath alone.

Drinkability - This is one farmhouse ale that you can session all night long. It is well-rounded in all aspects and earns very solid 4.5s all the way around.

Comments - Big thanks to JustErica for thoughtfully sending this bottle out to Seattle. She could not have made a better choice.

Update - I haven't had this is almost three years so thought now would be a good time to try it again in May 2008. This beer is so smooth and so tasty I upped the Drinkability to 5.0, and with a very modest ABV you can drink it all night long.

A 750ml bottle poured into a tulip glass. Be careful with the pour; this is the largest head you might ever see. Yellow/orange color, voluminous head, thick, white, sticky. Pretty impressive. An earthy aroma, some citrus noted also. Very hoppy flavor, with some lemon. A most refreshing and enjoyable beer, and, at 4.5% ABV, you can drink a few.

Appearance: Pours a clear, straw yellow body with a gigantic, soapy, white head that has a long retention. Clingy, soapsudsy, clumps of lace are all over the tulip glass.

Aroma: Earthy hop and yeast aromas are everywhere. Some funky barnyard notes play second fiddle to dominant hay and grassy hop leaf aromas. Some mild spicing of pepper and coriander is also apparent. Some faint citrusy lemon enlivens the bouquet to Belgian Saison like complexity.

Mouthfeel: Well carbonated, and the body is light and airy.

Taste: The label bills this as a "dry hopped French farmhouse ale", but it is essentially a Saison. Crisp and refreshing, lightly spiced, earthy yeast funk, dry lemonrind, and aggressively hopped for a Saison. Herbs, grass, and hay impart a substantial, dry, hoppy character to the taste. Lemony citrus reemerges toward the finish to add a nice sour twang to the aftertaste.

Large green bottle, capped and with foil, no freshness/bottling date info provided. Pours yeasty/cloudy light orange amber. With a super fine tiny bubble head and sheen, leaving fine scattered lacing. Has the look of something special. Nose is multi faceted, yeasty, peppery, light funk and perhaps a wiff of the 'ole barnyard. Delicate mouthfeel, and notes of lemon and pepper. Drying, crisp and spicy hops add bite to the finish. World class, interesting, complex brew. Was great with spicy chineese food. Search for and seek out this fine creation

Taste, sour, bitter, you can detect minimal amounts of the heavily proclaimed dry hopping. Was very much a Belgian-esque influence moreso than the American dry hopping influence. Stayed away from sweet. But the hopping just didn't rise to the occasion. Remained dry throughout, but just wasn't my thing.

Had an aftertaste I can't figure out. Glad I tried it, but the label kind of reeks of false advertising from a hophead's perspective.

Pours a clear lemon-yellow color with a bright white head that takes up almost the entire glass. This beer takes almost as long to pour as it does to drink. Once I finally get a nice amount in the glass the head stays as a rocky pancake leaving light lacing.

Smells of equal parts medicinal hops and cloves, with hints of funkiness underlying it all.

Tastes similar to how it smells. I believe this is the lowest ABV saison I've ever tasted but that doesn't mean it lacks in flavor. Sweet malt flavors mix with mild funk up front, followed by a nice amount of earthy hops. The ending manages to be sweet, bitter, and spicy at the same time.

Mouthfeel is good. As with the taste, the low ABV does nothing to take away from the mouthfeel - nice thickness with soft carbonation.

Drinkability is good. It turned out to be a good thing that it took so long to pour as I got to savor this one longer than I would've normally.

Overall this is a very interesting beer. A weak saison with subtle hop characteristics. Definitely worth a shot.

A: heavily clouded yellow and pale gold run amuck throughout. The foamy crown is most impressive with tremendous staying power as a fine layer of bleach white icing remains with half my glass gone. Lacing is worthy of praise as well

S: the nose gathers dry grains, crusty hops, and tart barnyard funk. For the most part I find it pretty mild mannered in the nose with grains dominating

T: the palate unlocks a nice group of flavors. It has some light malt dimensions and textures that combine straw and hay notes. A pinch of caramel is working within as well. What is most interesting are the hop flavors consisting of grassy, earthy, and spicy notes. Hops are in good order as the spiciness takes on a peppery character after numerous sips and gulps, a nice bite to this one. It finishes crisp and dry with a pinch of lemon

M: feel is champagne like with "fizzy" being the correct description. Body is light and very airy

D: good stuff. I find this beer interesting and nice on a stormy night

A superior version of the blonde. A saison/biere de garde with a nice spicey nose, easy drinking, easy alcohol. Great foaming head on attractive yellow. Easy mouthfeel, and reasonable taste. Understated for lunch. Unexpectantly hoppy bitter. Refreshing.

The Thiriez XXtra initially pours a clear golden body beneath a good-sized head of creamy bright-white foam. Subsequent pours, however, bring up the yeast giving it a bit of haze. The head retention is very good, and it leaves thin walls of lace throughout most of the glass.

The nose is bold and bright with grassy, resinous, lemony and even spicy hops over a mild, earthy malt base.

It's crisp in the mouth with a medium-light body and just slightly elevated carbonation.

The flavor delivers dripping, resinous, grassy, lemony, spicy/peppery and delicately floral hops awash in an earthy/mineral/straw-like maltiness that's backed by a brisk, drying bitterness that holds it all together rather than letting the hops go toppling... spilling out all over everything, and leaving it unbalanced. This one's really a tightrope walk of balance!

It's a unique beer in that it is so highly hopped for the style; and that it holds it's balance so well. But it's also fairly straightforward in what it is, delivering basically the same characteristics throughout the nose, flavor, and finish.... yet it's oddly compelling!

Poured from the 750ml bottle into my Duvel tulip glass. A cloudy bright golden-orange body is topped by a huge creamy white head with a meringue-like consistency. Ample carbonation continues to swirl for a while, emanating from around the etched "D" at the bottom of the glass. Just beautiful.
Aroma of fresh, spicy floral hops, with a touch of Belgian ale yeast. A hint of white pepper and lemon zest can be detected as well. Palate is mainly fresh, floral hops, and lots of them. Notes of grass, clove, and citrus, along with some earthy Belgian yeast. Finish is fairly dry, with a biting but not hugely bitter hoppiness. Body is light and crisp, like a good saison should be, with great carbonation that adds an almost creamy sub-layer. This is just about the perfect beer for a warm summer night. Were it not for the price (steep even with my discount from the shop), I would probably buy a whole lot of this beer. Damn good stuff.

750ml bottle poured into a Duvel tulip glass. Pours an orangish amber color with an extremely large and fluffy white head. There is a lot of carbonation within the bottle, so you have to pour carefully to avoid an overflow. The laser etching at the bottom of the Duvel glass releases an amazing amount of bubbles escalating to the top to support the massive head. The appearance is just lovely.

The aroma is quite delightful as well. The aroma possesses a good amount of malt, ripe fruits, an array of spices, and floral hops. The taste starts out with some malt and spices, with the spicy hops making their presence felt in the middle and lasting well into the finish. The mouthfeel is light and crisp as the high amount of carbonation prickles the tongue.

This is my 500th review since becoming a BA, which is an exciting milestone. Overall, this is a fairly hoppy Saison from France that was delightful to drink. I will have to pick up another couple bottles in the future, definitely recommended!

Pale yellow in hue with a faded straw highlight, the color looks very similar to Duvel. Rather hazy and there isnt much animation either. Yet the head was bright white and meringue-like. Wow, a soft pour produced over three fingers of froth. Head retention was excellent; it was very slow to fade to a size small enough to actually take a sip. Lacing started before I even took a sip, I absolutely love to see that. The actual lacing was very widespread once I started drinking it. The appearance of this beer is outstanding.

The nose is delicate. I often opine about the lack of a boastful bouquet. If the nose was any louder here I think it would hurt the charm of this beer. I detect hints of pears, lemons, earth, marshmallows, pepper, a spice medley (coriander, clove, ginger), and a faint cracker-like malt base. All of these aromas are soft and secondary to the most vocal player, the hops. Saaz hops are in the forefront with their spicy/earthiness and zesty/grassy underbelly. Still the overall potency is low. Yes, the nose is complex and articulate. Inviting, just listen for the whisper.

The palate is a bit of a letdown. I taste celery and dried nuts/wood along with pears, lemons, marshmallows, and pepper. Juicy fruit in the middle with a kiss of spice and then the finish is home to a solid smack of hop bitterness. The finish is the highlight of the palate. Still, the palate is not jiving with me; I mean, the flavor profile is okay but I would have liked a little more funk, a bit more Belgian (or French in this case) farmhouse qualities. Light grassiness, cracker maltiness in spots, and a smattering of herbal still cant distract that celery taste. I am torn, I want to call this beer tame but I also want to call it cultured refined. The low abv is different take on the style, I wish there was more beef however. Still, it is okay for what it is.

Medium-light in body, low but playful carbonation, the mouthfeel isnt flat but it is soft, like drinking a cloud which is charming, I suppose. It is a tickle thin but it works very well with the lightness of the palate.

Drinkability, in the sense of easiness to drink, is very high. Many lesser beers also fall into this category too. Drinkability, in the sense of how bad to I want another, is low. Sure this beer is good and I can see the attraction and the lovely subtleties but I want more. No, I dont want every beer to be massive and palate punishing. I guess, my biggest beef is the start of this beer, it seems flawed to me. Maybe it is or maybe I am. Celery/wood does not equal a good drink in this case. I love Farmhouse ales and Saisons but I dont love this beer. I purchased my bottle in Iowa City, IA.

Originally reviewed November 26, 2006. 750mL Bottle. A light woody tooth to the aroma. Slightly grainy. Pale celar golden pour, with twice as much rocky head, soapy and off-white. An incredibly refined sweet taste, with light sweet spuice and an edge of hop flavor touches. Light esters for the the style. Not particularly deep or complex, but heavy handed on the backend with hops and hop flavor. Grassy and long. Sweet, yet dryly drinkable. Lemon peel and citrus dominate the top fusels. As it warms, the brilliant nutmeg spices enlighten me with a floral bouquet. Nice grassy finishes, as this is a delectable drinker.

Holy explosion. Popped the cap and the gusher went off. So after the lengthy clean-up and wait here goes:

Pours a murky golden honey color with some yeast particles settling at the bottom of the glass. Not much need to explain the huge soapy pure white head. It took its sweet time to settle and left some chuncky lacing.

The aroma is sweet and spicy. Substantially candi sugar and floral honey bring the sweetness. Clove and pepper from the yeast provide an offset to the sweetness. There is a bit of a copper note to add another level of complexity. To round out the aroma, there is a leafy/grassy hop presence.

The flavor is more subdued. A light sweet belgian pale malt provides the base for the beer. Clove and pepper are the main flavors. There is some lemon tartness but not much. The candi sugar provides the sweetness with a touch of floral honey. Some grassy hops rounds out the flavor.

The feel is light to moderate with prickly carbonation. Sweet and spicy on the palate. Drinks fairly crisp and on the dry side.

Right in my alley for saisons. It could use a bit more flavor and a touch of funk but I could drink this all day. And at 4.5% ABV I could. Actually this brings in a ton of flavor for the abv level.

This is by far the most variance I've had in reviewing one single beer. Absolutley beautiful looking beer. Huge frothy head, sincere golden hues, almost a pillowy existance- picture what Goldschlager looks like... Nice fruity eminations, followed by a wooded backbone on the nose. Bigest disappointment- taste. Are Saison's supposed to be this sour? Fine, if it's a characteristic of the style, I probably shy away from this style from now on. I guess I just don't like it. A little weak in the ABV category; resulting a a pretty easy to drink concoction.